A reliable, coherent-optimised subsea cable system, AEConnect interconnects metro networks and is designed to address the rise in transatlantic data centre interconnectivity (DCI) market demands. Subsequently, Aqua Comms has incorporated the most important data centre locations in New York, Dublin, and London as key Points of Presence (PoPs) in its network.

A key benefit of the 150 Gb/s 8QAM technology is the ability to provide high-capacity DCI, which is instrumental in serving Aqua Comms' on-demand, application-centric customers. 8QAM enables 50 percent additional capacity per channel with 150 Gb/s per wavelength.

AEConnect will initially support 13Tbps (130 x 100 Gbps), however, with the introduction of more advanced modulations, including 8QAM, this will continue to increase. In addition to its capacity, AEConnect is designed to provide the most secure and reliable transatlantic cable system in existence. On both the U.S. and European sides, the cable transverses the minimum length of shallow water along the Continental shelf and avoids major fishing grounds and shipping anchorage areas that are known to expose subsea cables to damage. Additional armouring and deeper burial were also obtained to further mitigate potential vulnerability.

"Ciena's submarine leadership combined with their consultative approach makes them a valuable partner that understands the business environment of our customers too. Aqua Comms' network is designed to meet the specific application and business requirements of content providers, cloud-based networks, data centres, IT companies and the global media. The successful trial and deployment of Ciena's 150 Gb/s per wavelength 8QAM technology on AEConnect underscores our commitment to serving our customers' needs, now and into the future."
- Greg Varisco, Chief Executive Officer, Aqua Comms

About Aqua Comms Limited Aqua Comms Limited (Aqua Comms) is the owner and operator of the transatlantic cable AEConnect and the Irish Sea cable CeltixConnect, and was established to build, acquire or merge with subsea fiber optic cable networks to provide capacity networking solutions to the global media, content providers and IT companies. To learn more about Aqua Comms and its new transatlantic subsea cable system, AEConnect, visit www.AquaComms.com.